2008: First choice as McCain V.P. as a "game changer"

The plan was always for McCain to shock the world with his VP pick. The surprise that McCainworld intended to spring was a running mate named Joe Lieberman. But then something happened on the way to the Republican convention in St.
Paul--and, presto chango, there was Palin.

McCainworld's core conviction was that McCain's VP choice had to be a game change. If McCain's running mate selection didn't fundamentally alter the dynamics of the race, it would be lights out. Yet 3 of the
5 short-listers failed to meet its chief goal. Mitt Romney, Charlie Crist, and Tim Pawlenty all had their virtues, but game changers they were not. The 4rth, NYC Mayor Mike Bloomberg, qualified for the label--but he also was a divorced, pro-choice,
pro-gay, anti-gun, Jewish plutocrat who had switched his party affiliation. Not one of them generated much enthusiasm in McCainworld, or, more important, in McCain. But, for reasons both personal and political, the fifth man did: Lieberman.

Politicians are fighting each other but not for the people

Millions of our fellow citizens are facing very big and real problems. They’re worried about their homes and their jobs, their businesses. They’re worried about the outrageous cost of gasoline and health insurance. They are worried about the threats
from our enemies abroad. But when they look to Washington, all too often they don’t see their leaders coming together to tackle these problems. Instead, they see Democrats and Republicans fighting each other rather than fighting for the American people.

Source: Speech at 2008 Republican National Convention
, Sep 2, 2008

Being an American before being a Democrat or a Republican

I’m here to support McCain because country matters more than party. I am here tonight for a simple reason. McCain is the best choice to bring our country together and lead America forward.
I am here tonight because McCain’s whole life testifies to a great truth. Being a Democrat or a Republican is important, but it is nowhere near as important as being an American.

Source: Speech at 2008 Republican National Convention
, Sep 2, 2008

Endorses Republican John McCain for President

Joe Lieberman, a Democrat who ran as an independent after losing his 2006 primary re-election, has endorsed GOP Sen. John McCain. According to a Lieberman aide, “Lieberman just thought McCain was clearly the most qualified candidate to be commander in
chief from day one, so rather than just observe from the sidelines, the senator now hopes to actually influence the process.”

The aide said Lieberman was not courted by anyone else in the race. “I think McCain is the only one who asked for the senator’
endorsement,“ he added.

In a pre-emptive comment against the questions that will inevitably come around the senator since his own contentious 2006 re-election, when he was knocked out of the Democratic primary by a political neophyte because of his
pro-Iraq position, Lieberman is not switching parties. ”This is in no way an endorsement of the (Republican) Party, just the man,“ the aide said, adding that McCain did not ask Lieberman to join his ticket in the vice presidential slot.

Source: Associated Press
, Dec 17, 2007

Voted with Democratic Party 88.4% of 320 votes.

Sen. Joseph Lieberman (I-CT), was scored by the Washington Post on the percentage of votes on which a lawmaker agrees with the position taken by a majority of his or her party members. The scores do not include missed votes.
Their summary:Voted with Democratic Party 88.4% of 320 votes.Overall, Democrats voted with their party 88.4% of the time, and Republicans voted with their party 81.7% of the time (votes Jan. 8 through Sept. 8, 2007).

Source: Washington Post, “US Congress Votes Database”
, Sep 8, 2007

Problem in Washington is too much partisanship

Q: How would failure in Iraq affect US policy?

LIEBERMAN: One of the major problems in Washington is too much partisanship. The best way to fix Washington is to elect people who will stand up & do what’s right regardless of the political consequences.
Someone who will work across party lines to get things done for the people they serve. That’s what I’ve done for 18 years. Negativity and partisan game-playing couldn’t have accomplished anything.

LAMONT: I don’t think it’s bipartisan to rubber-stamp
George Bush’s rush to war in Iraq. That’s a time we needed checks and balances, and tough questions asked. Every time someone says it’s time for a change, Sen. Lieberman suggests they’re too partisan, or too negative. We got ourselves into this mess not
because we asked too many questions, but because we asked too few.

SCHLESINGER: The Senator likes to bring up partisanship all the time. Partisanship is not the problem in Iraq. Being a crutch to the Maliki government may be the problem.

Admonished Clinton for Monica; didn't advocate impeachment

[During Monicagate] while Bill was negotiating with foreign leaders abroad, Joe Lieberman admonished him publicly. Lieberman, who had been a friend since Bill had worked on his first campaign for the Connecticut state senate in the early 70s, took to the
Senate floor to denounce the President's conduct as immoral and harmful because "it send as message of what is acceptable behavior to the larger American family."

When Bill was asked to respond to Lieberman's speech, he replied: "Basically I agree with
what he said. I made a bad mistake. It was indefensible, and I'm very sorry about it."

I realized that apologies would never be enough for hardcore Republicans and might not be enough to avert a meltdown within the Democratic Party. Other Democratic
leaders, including Rep. Dick Gephardt of Missouri, Sen. Patrick Moynihan of New York and Sen. Bob Kerrey of Nebraska, condemned the President's personal actions and said he should in some way be held accountable. None, however, advocated impeachment.

He & Gore warned about Bush, and Bush turned out even worse

In 2000, Al Gore and I went all around this country and warned the American people about George W. Bush. We said he would squander our surplus. We said he would compromise civil rights, he would abandon the middle class and he would turn his back on the
poor. Let’s be honest about this, the presidency of Bush has been a worse nightmare than even Al and I warned America about.

Joblessness, 3.5 million people have lost their jobs, 2.5 million have fallen out of the middle class into poverty, our
schools have been underfunded. So many of our capable lower-income kids are going to have trouble going to college. Civil rights have been eroded. The environment has been plundered today. At home and abroad, America is weaker.

We need a fresh start.
We need a president who will unite America around our shared values and restore security and prosperity to our country and fairness and integrity to the White House. With your help and God’s help, I intend to be that president.

Source: Congressional Black Caucus Institute debate
, Sep 9, 2003

I know I can beat Bush; I already did

Americans deserve not an either/or choice in 2004 between a president who is strong in the world and a president who is strong here at home. They deserve strength in both, and that’s what I offer. I am the one Democrat who can match George Bush in many
areas where he’s strong; defense and moral values, and beat him where he is weak; on the economy and his divisive right-wing social agenda. I know I can beat George Bush. Why? Al Gore and I already did it. And with your help, we’ll do it again.

Source: Democratic Debate in Columbia SC
, May 3, 2003

Takes on the tough battles throughout his career

Q: People think you’re too nice to be president and you’re just not tough enough to take on President Bush.

LIEBERMAN: I’d like to come over there and strangle you, George.

You don’t have to be a screamer to be tough.
When I was attorney general of Connecticut, I sued the insurance companies, one of the big interest groups in my state. As a US Senator, I’ve taken on some of the big interest groups. In my party, I am the only one on stage who has taken on Hollywood,
the entertainment industry, for peddling sex and violence to our kids. I went to the floor of the US Senate and spoke out against a president to whom I was devoted because he did something that I thought was wrong.
I supported the Gulf War. I supported the war against Saddam Hussein. My career shows that I am ready to do the right thing for our country. That’s what strength is all about.

Hollywood deserves reprimands at times, but not censorship

After threatening Hollywood with sanctions, Lieberman softened his tone. “Al and I have tremendous regard for this industry. We’re both fans of the products that come out of the entertainment industry -not all of them but a lot of them. From time to time
we will have been -and will be -critics or nudges. But I promise you this, that we will never, never put the government in the position of telling you by law, through law, what to make. We will nudge you but we will never become censors.”

Source: Terence Hunt, LA Times
, Sep 19, 2000

The next frontier is within us

Forty years ago, we came to this city and crossed a new frontier. Today, we return with prosperity at home and freedom throughout the world that John F. Kennedy could have only dreamed about. We may wonder where the next frontier really is. Tonight I
believe that the next frontier isn’t just in front of us, but inside of us-to overcome the differences that are still between us, to break down the barriers that remain, and to help every American claim the limitless possibilities of their own lives.

Source: Speech to the Democrat Convention
, Aug 16, 2000

Only in America

I try to see this world as my dad saw it from his bakery truck. I know that somewhere in America there is another father loading a bakery truck or a young woman programming a
computer or a parent dreaming of a better future for their daughter or their son. If we keep the faith, then 40 years from now, one of their children will stand before a
gathering like this with a chance to serve and lead this country that we love. So, let them look back to this time, and this place, and this stage and say of us: they kept the faith. Let
them say that we helped them realize their hopes and their dreams. And let them look around at this great and good nation that we are all so blessed to share, and say: Only in America.

Source: Speech to the Democrat Convention
, Aug 16, 2000

Good laws protect us from private interests & profit

My consumer and environmental protection enforcement work [as Connecticut Attorney General] reinforced that people need the protection of good laws or they will be cheated, polluted, and otherwise taken advantage of by those who have more interest in
profit or convenience than in doing what is fair & just. There is a relevant insight from the Talmud: “As with fishes, the one that is larger swallows the others. Were it not for the fear of government, everyone greater than his fellow would swallow him.

Source: Excerpt from “In Praise of Public Life”, p. 70
, May 2, 2000

Legislating has become campaigning; wrong focus

The problem in Congress today is that campaigns never end. Legislating has become campaigning by another name, which often means not much legislating gets done. Elected officials at the federal level regularly position themselves for the next campaign.
They focus too much on raising the vast sums of money needed for expensive television advertising, and worry too often about the ramifications of a single vote they cast, for fear that it will come back to haunt them in the next election.

Source: Excerpt from “In Praise of Public Life”, p.124-5
, May 2, 2000

Joseph Lieberman on Clinton + Impeachment

Clinton’s affair was inappropriate, immoral, & harmful

Lieberman stood up in the Senate to speak about Bill Clinton. They had been friends and Democratic allies for 30 years, but the president had finally admitted having an affair with Monica Lewinsky. “Such behavior is not just inappropriate-it is immoral.
It is harmful, for it sends a message of what is acceptable behavior to the larger American family,” he added. “I fear the president has undercut the efforts of millions of American parents trying to instill in our children the values of honesty.”

Source: Robert D. McFadden, NY Times
, Aug 8, 2000

Goal should be to protect nation, not punish Clinton

James Madison concluded in the Federalist Papers that leaders had to recognize “the necessity of sacrificing private opinions and partial interests to the public good.” That, in my mind, remains the foremost obligation we have [with regards to] President
Clinton’s misconduct. It is our overarching responsibility to think first of what is in the best interests of the nation.

The House proceedings [were] defined by bitter partisanship [and hence] exacerbated the divisions this matter has caused, and
eroded the public’s trust in the fairness and legitimacy of this important process.

As the trial proceeds, we must remember that our goal is not and should not be to punish the President but to protect the nation. I am convinced that the only way to
serve that compelling interest is to resolve this matter not as Republicans and Democrats but as Americans, bound by a common purpose and free of partisan prejudice. The public that we serve, already deeply skeptical of our motives, deserves no less.

President’s private conduct has public consequences

I was disappointed because the president of the United States had just confessed to engaging in an extramarital affair with a young woman in his employ and to willfully deceiving the nation about his conduct. I was personally angry because President
Clinton had, by his disgraceful behavior, jeopardized his administration’s historic record of accomplishment.

After much reflection, my feelings of disappointment and anger have not dissipated, except now these feelings have gone beyond my personal
dismay to a larger, graver sense of loss for our country, a reckoning of the damage that the president’s conduct has done to the proud legacy of his presidency and, ultimately, an accounting of the impact of his actions on our democracy and its moral
foundations.

No matter how much the president or others may wish to compartmentalize the different spheres of his life, the inescapable truth is that the president’s private conduct can and often does have profound public consequences.

Source: Statement on Senate floor
, Sep 3, 1998

Joseph Lieberman on Democratic Party

I’m not George Bush, but Lamont is running against him

I know George Bush. I have worked against George Bush. I have even run against George Bush. But, Ned, I’m not George Bush. So why don’t you stop running against him and have the courage and honesty to run against me and the facts of my record?
The fact is that I have opposed George Bush on most of the major policy initiatives of his administration, from tax cuts for the rich to privatizing Social Security.

I have done so not for partisan reasons, but because I believe he was wrong.
I’m a Democrat with a 35-year record of fighting for progressive causes, for the middle class, for civil rights, for women’s rights, for human rights and a lot more. I voted with my Senate Democratic colleagues 90% of the time. And when I have disagreed,
I have had the courage of my convictions to say so. That’s who I am. That’s who I have been. And that’s what I offer Connecticut voters for the next six years -- experience, principles and results.

Would run Independent due to Lamont’s single-issue candidacy

Q: What does being a Democrat mean to you and why have you opted to become a petitioning candidate if you don’t win the primary?

A: What a Democrat means to me is what it meant in 1960 when President Kennedy summoned my generation into public service.
In our time, the Democratic Party has been the great hope of people rising in our country, and it remains that way.

[My opponent] is running a single issue campaign. He is a single issue candidate who is applying a litmus test to me.
It’s not good enough to be 90% voting with my colleagues in the Senate Democratic Caucus. He wants 100%. And when a party does that, it’s the beginning of the defeat of that party.
I want Democrats to be back in the majority in Washington and elect a Democratic president in 2008. This man and his supporters will frustrate and defeat our hopes of doing that.

The GOP can’t use their normal playbook on me

Pres. Bush said that the Democrat he thought would give him the toughest fight for reelection was Joe Lieberman. Incidentally, this is an opinion on which I agree with President Bush. The reason is that the Republicans can’t run their normal playbook
on me that they try to run on Democratic candidates. They can’t say I flip-flop because I don’t. They can’t say I’m weak on defense because I’m not. They can’t say I’m weak on values because I’m not. They can’t say I’m a big taxer and a big spender.

AdWatch: Fighting extremes of both parties

AD AUDIO: LIEBERMAN: I love America, but I hate the direction in which George Bush is taking us.

ANNOUNCER: How do we defeat George Bush’s extreme agenda? It’ll take more than extreme anger. Joe Lieberman has spent 30 years rejecting the extremes
of both parties. Fighting against discrimination. Taking on corporate polluters. Helping protect children from trash culture. Standing strong against terrorism. Championing tax cuts for the middle class. Joe Lieberman:
the integrity to fight for what’s right.

ANALYSIS: This is an anti-Howard Dean ad that doesn’t mention Dean’s name. Lieberman acknowledged this, and his media advisor says “everyone is quite clear what we’re talking about.” The Connecticut senator
is seizing on a recent spate of stories about Dean’s temperament-and trying to position himself as the moderate alternative to the more liberal Dean-without risking a backlash by suggesting the party’s front-runner is extreme as well as angry.

Independent minded center out candidate, like Bill Clinton

Q: Why do you think you have the best chance of beating Bush in a general election?

A: It is because I am the most independent minded center out candidate in the Democratic field --
which is to say that I am the most like Bill Clinton was in 1992. That means that I can take Bush on where he is supposed to be strong but really isn’t -- defense, security and values.
I can defeat him where he is weak on his failed economic policies and his right wing social agenda. Years ago someone told me that you can’t help the people unless you get elected,
and that is important to voters who want to deny Bush a second term to remember. We have to run a candidate who can hold Democrats together, appeal to moderate Republicans and win among independents, and I believe I am that candidate.

Very different than Republicans-a good Democrat

Q: Truman said that if a Democrat tries to look like a Republican, the Republican will win every time. How are you very much different from a Republican?

A: The fact is that I am very different from the Republican I am running against which is George
Bush. I have a very strong support on social justice and social progress. My positions on civil rights, environmental protection, education, health care, women’s right to choose, consumer protection, worker protection, are like day to George Bush’s
night. I resent it when some people say just because I am strong on defense and am willing to talk about values in public life that somehow I am not a good Democrat.
To me being strong on defense and talking about values is all about being a good Democrat in the tradition of Kennedy and Clinton and Gore.

True to the ideals of Bobby Kennedy, where he got started

Q: You were Robert Kennedy’s Connecticut coordinator in his 1968 Presidential campaign. Do you believe the Democratic Party still follows many of the ideals that Bobby Kennedy presented?

A: First, I am impressed that you knew I was active in the Kennedy campaign in 1968. Second, my campaign for president is all about making sure that the Democratic party is true to the ideals of Bobby Kennedy.
That means fighting for social justice and social progress, being able to unite Americans across possible dividing lines like race and nationality and to unite us around the values that we share and the dreams for a better, safer life we all have.
That particularly includes making improvements to our public schools and our healthcare system.

With GOP on defense & social issues; with Dems on budget

Lieberman has often taken positions at odds with the Democratic Party on school vouchers, affirmative action, regulation of managed care, capital gains taxes and product liability. He has sided with the Clinton administration on all important
budget votes, and unlike many other Democrats he has supported the administration’s positions on trade and welfare.

Lieberman’s views are completely in tune with the vice president’s on abortion, the environment, gun control, gay
rights and the death penalty. He has usually supported the Clinton administration on foreign policy issues, and in 1991, Lieberman and Gore, who was then a senator, were among only 10 Democratic senators who voted to give President George Bush the
authority to use military force in the Persian Gulf. When he has opposed the Clinton administration, Lieberman has invariably taken a more conservative stance, often the one held by Republicans.

Source: David E. Rosenbaum, NY Times, p. A19
, Aug 8, 2000

Tries to strike balance between conservative and liberal

“I’m going to do what I think is right on every issue, and not feel obliged to vote a particular way because it’s the party line or because people expect me to.” Lieberman often seems to be striking a balance between conservative and liberal instincts.
On the liberal side, he has voted for abortion rights, gun control, tax increases, welfare reforms, consumer protections and civil rights legislation. On environmental issues, he helped draft clean air laws, wrote the Pollution Prosecution Act of 1990,
exposed lax security measures in nuclear power plants and supported minimum-wage increases and laws to protect whistle-blowers. On the conservative side, he has been far more enthusiastic than most Democrats concerning military spending. Lieberman has
been a staunch Senate supporter of Israel, but has also backed arms sales to Saudi Arabia. In 1991, he was one of 10 Democrats to support American involvement in the Persian Gulf war, and he favored the deployment of American troops in Bosnia.

Source: Robert D. McFadden, NY Times
, Aug 8, 2000

Joseph Lieberman on Florida Recount

Believes they got more votes & won popular vote & election

Q: Have you ever doubted yourself in fighting this fight after the election?

A: I honestly have not. If we come to that moment, we will know it. But this is not about fighting on regardless. Ever since Election night and the next day, all that we
have asked is that every vote that was cast be counted. And that’s a simple and profound American proposition. It’s not only important to the people who voted, but it’s important to the next president so he takes office without that cloud over his head.
When you’re treated unfairly by the government in America, what do you do? You go to the courts. And that’s what we’re doing. And we’re not going to carry this on to a point where it will hurt this country.

Q: Do you feel that if every vote in Florida
was counted, you would win this election?

A: I believe we would. That’s part of why Al Gore and I are asking for this hand recount. Remember, we won the popular vote. We’re just three electoral votes short of victory.

If every vote counts, then count every vote

From the beginning of this extraordinary period of time, Vice President Gore and I have asked only that the votes that were cast on Election Day be counted. This evening, the secretary of state of Florida has decided to certify what by any
reasonable standard is an incomplete and inaccurate count of the votes cast in the state of Florida. The secretary of state has even refused to accept the results of the count in Palm Beach County, which means that hundreds of votes that have already
been identified for Governor Bush or Vice President Gore are being discarded.

In thousands of hours of work by hundreds of citizens of Florida, Republicans and Democrats and independents alike are being ignored. What is at issue here is nothing
less than every American’s simple, sacred right to vote. How can we teach our children that every vote counts if we are not willing to make a good-faith effort to count every vote?

Reconsider overseas military ballots, even if imperfect

Joseph Lieberman said today that Florida election officials should reconsider their rejection of hundreds of military ballots from overseas, even if they might not comply with the law. Lieberman’s comments, a retreat from the position the Democrats had
taken since Friday, came after they were stung by Republican charges that they had made a concerted effort to disenfranchise members of the military.

“My own point of view, if I was there, I would give the benefit of the doubt to ballots coming
in from military personnel, generally,“ Lieberman said on NBC’s ”Meet the Press.“ Of the local canvassing boards, he said, ”If they have the capacity, I’d urge them to go back and take another look, because again,
Al Gore and I don’t want to ever be part of anything that would put an extra burden on the military personnel abroad.“

Source: Richard P‚rez-Pe¤a, NY Times
, Nov 19, 2000

Joseph Lieberman on Religion

Religion fills “vacuum of values” & provides common ground

Returning to one of his most cherished and provocative themes, Joseph Lieberman called today for a greater role for religion in public discourse, as a source of shared moral principles and an antidote to “the vacuum of values” in American culture.
Lamenting that it has become unacceptable in many circles to discuss religion, Lieberman said that “we have gone a long way toward dislodging our values from their natural source in moral truth.”

“Without the connection to a higher law,” he said, “it
becomes more and more difficult for people to answer the important day- to-day questions that test us: Why is it wrong to lie or cheat or steal? Why is it wrong to settle conflicts with violence? Why is it wrong to be unfaithful to one’s spouse, or to
exploit children, or to despoil the environment, or defraud a customer, or demean an employee?“ Lieberman said that religion provides a common ground for values - nonviolence, respect for others - that few would find objectionable

Source: Richard Perez-Pena, NY Times
, Oct 25, 2000

Advocates civil religion, not religiously based policy

Lieberman espouses a greater role for faith, and was rebuked last week for suggesting that belief in God is the basis of true morality. Lieberman later backed away from his comment.

Many Christians came to Lieberman’s defense, saying they had been
advocating the same things for years and had been vilified. But Lieberman’s message is substantially different from that of the Christian conservatives. As a Jew, without a sectarian mandate to proselytize, Lieberman bears none of the baggage of the
religious salesman, and thus is more palatable to a wider public than evangelical Christians.

Many religious scholars say that Lieberman recalls an older, non-sectarian spiritual underpinning to government. Lieberman instead advocates what has
been called “civil religion,” the ties that bind America’s majority of believers, of whatever faith. The term encompasses the basic beliefs that led the Founders to proclaim that the Creator had endowed man with certain “inalienable rights.”

Source: David Firestone, NY Times, p. WK-5
, Sep 3, 2000

Religion runs deep in US and is source of strength to people

“Religion is a source of unity and strength in America. and the United States is the most religious country in the world.. Sometimes, we try to stifle that fact or hide it,
but the profound, and ultimately most important, reality is that we are not only citizens of this blessed country, we are citizens of the same awesome God.”

Source: Story Posted on CNN.com
, Aug 28, 2000

Freedom OF religion, not freedom FROM religion

Lieberman made a passionate call for Americans to bring faith more prominently into public life, arguing that the nation needs to draw values and strength from religious beliefs “While so much of our economic life is thriving, too much of our moral life
is still stagnating. As a people, we need to reaffirm our faith and renew the dedication of our nation and ourselves to God and God’s purposes.”

“Let us reach out to those who may neither believe nor observe, and reassure them that we share with them
the core values of America, that our faith is not inconsistent with their freedom, and that our mission is not one of intolerance, but of love. We know that the Constitution wisely separates church from state. But remember, the Constitution guarantees
freedom of religion. Not freedom from religion. So let us break through some of the inhibitions that have existed to talk together across the flimsy line of separation of faith: to talk together, to study together, and to pray together.“

Source: Matea Gold, LA Times
, Aug 28, 2000

Christian right leaders call Lieberman an ally

Lieberman [is] an Orthodox Jew whom many Christians, and especially conservative evangelicals, regard as an ally on a number of social and moral issues. Although he frequently wears a yarmulke on his head,
Mr. Lieberman is seen by some Christians as a kindred spirit for his willingness to wear his religion on his sleeve. His talk of the Talmud’s inspiring both his values and his votes has often been cited by those Christians
who believe that the Bible ought to guide public policy.

“I think the vice president made an excellent choice,” the Rev. Jerry Falwell, who is supporting Gov. George W. Bush, said in an interview yesterday. “It
is a public acknowledgment that his candidacy has two great needs. One is credibility, which Mr. Lieberman brings to anything he touches. The second is an everlasting divorce from Bill Clinton, and this is that.”

Source: Laurie Goodstein, NY Times, p. A21
, Aug 8, 2000

Personal faith is his basis for public service

[My faith] gave me clear answers to life’s most difficult questions. The summary of our aspirations was in the Hebrew phrase tikkun olam, which is translated “to improve the world” or “to complete God’s Creation.” It presumes the inherent
but unfulfilled goodness of people and requires action for the benefit of the community. These beliefs were a powerful force in my upbringing and seem even more profound and true to me today. The ideal of service [is] fundamental to my religious faith.

Joseph Lieberman on Voting + Affiliations

Senate status: influential & non-partisan

Lieberman has come to occupy a unique place in the Senate, exerting influence out of proportion to his seniority, an influence that comes from respect for his independence of mind, civility of spirit and fidelity to causes in which he believes.
In a bitterly partisan time he is one of the least partisan Democrats on Capitol Hill, one of the very few Democrats not to engage in lockstep White House defense in the Clinton scandals. Yet Lieberman is anything but a political innocent.

Voted YES on confirming of Sonia Sotomayor to Supreme Court.

Yesterday, the Senate Judiciary Committee kicked off the confirmation hearings for Supreme Court Nominee, Judge Sonia Sotomayor. In her opening statement, Judge Sotomayor pledged a "fidelity to the law:"

"In the past month, many Senators have asked me about my judicial philosophy. It is simple: fidelity to the law. The task of a judge is not to make the law--it is to apply the law. And it is clear, I believe, that my record in two courts reflects my rigorous commitment to interpreting the Constitution according to its terms; interpreting statutes according to their terms and Congress's intent; and hewing faithfully to precedents established by the Supreme Court and my Circuit Court. In each case I have heard, I have applied the law to the facts at hand."

Religious affiliation: Jewish.

The Adherents.com website is an independent project and is not supported by or affiliated with any organization (academic, religious, or otherwise).

What’s an adherent?

The most common definition used in broad compilations of statistical data is somebody who claims to belong to or worship in a religion. This is the self-identification method of determining who is an adherent of what religion, and it is the method used in most national surveys and polls.

Such factors as religious service attendance, belief, practice, familiarity with doctrine, belief in certain creeds, etc., may be important to sociologists, religious leaders, and others. But these are measures of religiosity and are usually not used academically to define a person’s membership in a particular religion. It is important to recognize there are various levels of adherence, or membership within religious traditions or religious bodies. There’s no single definition, and sources of adherent statistics do not always make it clear what definition they are using.

New Democrat: "Third Way" instead of left-right debate.

Lieberman adopted Third Way principles of the Democratic Leadership Council:

America and the world have changed dramatically in the closing decades of the 20th century. The industrial order of the 20th century is rapidly yielding to the networked “New Economy” of the 21st century. Our political and governing systems, however, have lagged behind the rest of society in adapting to these seismic shifts. They remain stuck in the left-right debates and the top-down bureaucracies of the industrial past.

The Democratic Leadership Council, and its affiliated think tank the Progressive Policy Institute, have been catalysts for modernizing politics and government. The core principles and ideas of this “Third Way” movement [began with] Bill Clinton’s Presidential campaign in 1992, Tony Blair’s Labour Party in Britain in 1997, and Gerhard Shroeder’s Social Democrats in Germany in 1998.

The Third Way philosophy seeks to adapt enduring progressive values to the new challenges of he information age. It rests on three cornerstones:

the idea that government
should promote equal opportunity for all while granting special privilege for none;

an ethic of mutual responsibility that equally rejects the politics of entitlement and the politics of social abandonment;

and, a new approach to governing that empowers citizens to act for themselves.

The Third Way approach to economic opportunity and security stresses technological innovation, competitive enterprise, and education rather than top- down redistribution or laissez faire. On questions of values, it embraces “tolerant traditionalism,” honoring traditional moral and family values while resisting attempts to impose them on others. It favors an enabling rather than a bureaucratic government, expanding choices for citizens, using market means to achieve public ends and encouraging civic and community institutions to play a larger role in public life. The Third Way works to build inclusive, multiethnic societies based on common allegiance to democratic values.

Profiled in "Jews in American Politics".

Lieberman is profiled in the book "Jews in American Politics":

When one reads accounts of Jews in American politics, the common theme is that Jews have achieved prominence in art, literature, academia, certain businesses, and entertainment, but not in politics or government. The Jewish politician was the exception, not the rule.

In the last third of the 20th century, however, that pattern changed. By 2000, Jews had become as prominent in the political realm as they have been in other aspects of American life. And Jewish participation is accepted for the contributions these activists make, not because of their Jewishness. Nothing could symbolize this trend more cogently than the nomination of Joseph Lieberman for vice president in 2000 and the national reaction to his candidacy. [Lieberman says]:

Although politics was not exactly a Jewish profession, individual Jews did throw themsleves into the democratic process. Some were traditional politicians; others machine politicians. Many more, such as Emma Goldman and the radicals of the
early 20th century, were inspired by the ideal that they had a duty to repair the world—Tikkun Olam.

Many reasons account for the broader representation of Jews in American civic life today. The forces of antisemitism have been relegated to the extreme margins of society, the principle of meritocracy has increasingly opened the doors of opportunity. Moreover, the idealism and purpose that were spawned by the movements for civil rights, opposition to the war in Vietnam, environmentalism, and other causes drew many Jewish Americans into the political arena. Jews are admonished tp help perfect the world by the ancient wisdom of Rabbi Tarfon, who tells us, “You are not required to complete the task, yet you are not free to withdaw from it.”

[This book] provides brief biographical sketches for more than 400 Jews who have played prominent roles in American political life. The roster provides much of the basic information that we felt was previously lacking in one place.

Member of the Senate New Democrat Coalition.

Lieberman is a member of the Senate New Democrat Coalition:

The Senate New Democrat Coalition (SNDC) [is analogous to] the New Democrat Coalition (NDC) in the House. Members of both groups are moderate Democrats who advocate a new centrist, progressive approach to governing and who often reach across party lines to get things done.

Established in 1997, the House New Democrat Coalition (NDC) grew to 64 members between 1998 and 2000, making it the largest caucus in the House. With the success of NDN’s top House candidates on Election Day, the NDC has grown to 72 members in the 107th Congress. The Senate New Democrat Coalition (SNDC), established in 2000, is already 20 members.

In announcing the establishment of the SNDC in February 2000, Sen. Landrieu stated, “The American people are tired of the same old proposals and are demanding that we work together in a more creative way on the many problems facing our nation. Too often here in Washington, the loudest voices are the ones on the far left and far right. That is why this group was formed, to give voice to those in the sensible center.” The SNDC has already made its voice heard on critical issues ranging from education to trade to health care and, with the Senate evenly divided, the Senate New Dems are increasingly determining the balance of power.

Americans United for Separation of Church and State (AU) is a religious liberty watchdog group based in Washington, D.C. Founded in 1947, the organization educates Americans about the importance of church-state separation in safeguarding religious freedom.
AU is a nonpartisan organization dedicated to preserving the constitutional principle of church-state separation as the only way to ensure religious freedom for all Americans.

Americans United is a national organization with members in all 50 states. We are headquartered in Washington, D.C., and led by the Rev. Barry W. Lynn, executive director. AU has more than 75,000 members from all over the country. They include people from all walks of life and from various faith communities, as well as those who profess no particular faith. We are funded by donations from our members and others who support church-state separation. We do not seek, nor would we accept, government funding.

Member of Democratic Leadership Council.

Lieberman is a member of the Democratic Leadership Council:

Mission

The DLC’s mission is to promote public debate within the Democratic Party and the public at large about national and international policy and political issues. Specifically, as the founding organization of the New Democrat movement, the DLC’s goal is to modernize the progressive tradition in American politics for the 21st Century by advancing a set of innovative ideas for governing through a national network of elected officials and community leaders.

Who We Are

The Democratic Leadership Council is an idea center, catalyst, and national voice for a reform movement that is reshaping American politics by moving it beyond the old left-right debate. The DLC seeks to define and galvanize popular support for a new public philosophy built on progressive ideals, mainstream values, and innovative, non bureaucratic, market-based solutions. At its heart are three principles: promoting opportunity for all; demanding responsibility from everyone; and fostering a new sense
of community.

Since its inception, the DLC has championed policies from spurring private sector economic growth, fiscal discipline and community policing to work based welfare reform, expanded international trade, and national service. Throughout the 90’s, innovative, New Democrat policies implemented by former DLC Chairman President Bill Clinton have helped produce the longest period of sustained economic growth in our history, the lowest unemployment in a generation, 22 million new jobs, cut the welfare rolls in half, reduced the crime rate for seven straight years, balanced the budget and streamlined the federal bureaucracy to its smallest size since the Kennedy administration.

Now, the DLC is promoting new ideas -- such as a second generation of environmental protection and new economy and technology development strategies -- that is distinctly different from traditional liberalism and conservatism to build the next generation of America’s leaders.